The University of Guyana (UG) will be commencing a five-part stakeholder consultation on the “adjustment” of its tuition fees beginning next Tuesday.
Information reaching this newspaper indicates that there will be two consultations next Tuesday, one with the university’s staff and another with students. Another consultation will take place the following day (Wednesday), with members of the public sector and policy makers.
On Thursday, the consultation will target members of the Private Sector Commission, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association. Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) are also slated to be part of Thursday’s consultations.
The final consultation will take place on Friday at UG’s Tain Campus, in Berbice. This consultation will include the institution’s advisory board and the general public.
The need to increase tuition fees has been touted for several years but has picked up new traction since the advent of UG Vice-Chancellor Professor Jacob Opadeyi.
When he took up the portfolio last March, he said higher fees are a must if the quality of education being offered at the university is to be improved.
The university’s unions – the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) and the University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU) – have said they support increased fees but only if standards are raised with the increase. Meanwhile, UG’s Students Society has said that any increase must be done incrementally.
All three entities have also said that whatever increase is decided on must not affect the ability of Guyanese to access tertiary education.
